TEHRAN (Press TV) -- The U.S. defense secretary says Iran’s close alliance with certain Latin American countries concerns him more than Russia’s recent naval maneuvers in the region.

“I’m concerned about the level of frankly subversive activity that the Iranians are carrying on in a number of places in Latin America,” Robert Gates told a Senate committee on Tuesday.
A number of leftist states in the region, namely Venezuela, Cuba, Ecuador, Nicaragua, and Bolivia, have all become allies of Iran in recent years and supported the Islamic Republic’s stance in the international arena.
He also accused Iran of “opening a lot of offices” in the region to meddle in the internal affairs of Latin American countries.
However, Gates gave no specifics to prove his allegations about Iranian interference.
Over the past few years, U.S. officials have become more concerned about Iran’s efforts to strengthen its relations with Latin American nations, saying such ties sabotage Washington’s attempts to isolate the Middle Eastern country.
The administration of former U.S. president George W. Bush spearheaded efforts to isolate Iran over its civilian nuclear program by adopting punitive measures against the country as well as pushing for UN sanctions against Tehran.
But seven Latin American countries that are members of ALBA (the Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas) -- Venezuela, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Cuba, Bolivia, Honduras, and Nicaragua -- held a trade fair in Tehran in December in a symbolic rejection of the sanctions imposed on Iran. -